Tropical Finasteride is a self-proclaimed journey through a mind diseased by popular culture and excessive substance intake. “Leather Lungs Pt. I” and “Leather Lungs Pt. II” evoke a taking-drugs-to-make-music-to-take-drugs-to approach to composition, melding a gritty instrumental groove with an interview sample about smoking hash and the psychedelic visuals that ensue.
“Sometimes I Miss My Ex-Girlfriend’s Dad” shows a band that isn’t afraid to have fun while still making room for emotional candor. With choppy vocals, driving bass, and propulsive drums, the song keeps things light and playful despite lyrics centered on the loss of a former connection.
But the album isn’t without genuine political sensibilities: “Kill All Cops” might be its most pop-oriented song while still highlighting the epidemic of injustice that plagues the United States. “Theme Song to Compandas” espouses that “hot girls say ‘free Palestine’” while also reminding the listener to brush their teeth and call their mom. That lyrical juxtaposition is mirrored in the album’s instrumental contrasts, where fuzzed-out bass guitars and clipping drum beats back whimsical glockenspiel and toy keyboard melodies.
In a world where turning a blind eye can feel like the only way to stay sane, Compandas’ debut album becomes a manual for confronting cognitive dissonance. Truly, there is no joy without suffering.
Tracklist:
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Leather Lungs Pt. I
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I Just Quit My Job at the Liquor Store
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Can’t Stop It
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Kill All Cops
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Leather Lungs Pt. II
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You’re So Fine I Can't Believe It
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Sometimes I Miss My Ex-Girlfriend’s Dad
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Theme Song to Compandas
Tropical Finasteride is out now on streaming platforms and available on limited black vinyl.
About Compandas
Harkening to the golden age of blog-era Brooklyn, Compandas aims to renaissance a joyful DIY sound that the world seems to have traded for delusions of “making it.” This punk band from Pittsburgh is culturally more MediaFire than they are Instagram. What if the silly songs you make up in your head were recorded to the laptop you bought in college? What if Malcolm in the Middle was still your favorite TV show? Compandas dare to wonder.